76 
REV. C. W. HARVEY-REPORT OH THE 
mean values based upon these years, with which to compare the 
rainfall of the year. In the present Report, therefore, the terms 
“mean” and “average” will refer to the above ten years. The 
mean fall for the ten years appears to be 29*00 inches, and the 
mean number of wet days, 170, the fall being dispersed throughout 
the months as follows : 
Jan. 
. 2*03 
April. 
.... 2*26 
July. 
... 2*53 
Oct. 
...... 2*78 
Feb. 
.... 2*45 
May. 
.... 1*95 
Aug. .. 
.... 2*76 
Nov. 
. 2*70 
Mar. 
.... 1*53 
June. 
.... 2*43 
Sept. .. 
... 2*91 
Dec. 
. 2*67 
It will be seen by the. present report that the year 1885, as 
regards both the year’s actual fall, and the number of days on 
which rain fell, agrees exactly with this ten-year mean. 
Thus much by way of preface to the tenth report on the rainfall. 
I now proceed to the consideration of the rainfall of the year 1885, 
in doing which I shall follow the lines laid down in previous 
reports. 
The most striking feature in the rainfall of the year is un¬ 
doubtedly the extreme dryness of July. The mid-summer month 
is as a rule a somewhat wet month, owing in a great measure to the 
frequent recurrence of heavy thunder showers ; in the present year 
it has been the driest July since 1868, and the driest month in the 
year. On the other hand, September was a particularly wet month, 
the wettest September since 1876. Of this wet month Sept. 10th 
proved a very wet day, the fall at all stations exceeding an inch, 
ranging from 1*87 inch at Moor Park, to 1*09 at Hadham, the 
average at all stations being 1*41 inch. Comparing the rainfall in 
our own county with that of the neighbouring counties of Norfolk 
and Essex, we find that whilst our own mean rainfall has been 29 
inches, that of Norfolk has been less (28*74), and that of Essex 
considerably less (24*78), whilst the fall in the more western county 
of Wilts has naturally been greater (31*41). 
Distribution of Rainfall throughout the Year .—A dry summer was 
succeeded by a wet autumn; indeed, whilst the rainfall of the 
summer months only represented 14°/ 0 , that of the autumn months 
represented 42°/ 0 of the total fall. I give the fall of each quarter, 
and of each season, showing how far it differs from the average fall. 
Fall. 
DifE. 
Fall. 
Diff. 
1st quarter. 
.... 6*32 in. 
-f- *31 in. 
Winter . 
. 6*17 in. 
— *98 in. 
2nd ,, 
.... 7*41 
4- *77 
Spring . 
. 6*49 
4- ‘75 
3rd ,, . 
.... 5*97 
—2*23 
Summer.. 
. 4*12 
— 3*60 
4th ,, 
.... 9*30 
4-1*15 
Autumn . 
. 12*22 
4-3*83 
Year . 
.... 29*00 
— 
29*00 
When we compare the mean monthly fall for 1885 with the ten- 
year average, we find that, next to July, December was decidedly 
the driest month, whilst, although September was wet, October 
showed a still greater departure from the mean. 
in. in. in. in. 
Jan. -f- *36 April. -f- *18 July. —2*13 Oct. +1*90 
Feb. + *22 May . -j- '84 Aug...... —1*19 Nov. -j- *81 
Mar. — *27 June. — *25 Sept. ff-1'12 Dec. —1*56 
